First Baptist Church of Indian Rocks

2006 TCA Tilt-Up Achievement Award - Spiritual Division

Article tools: Coming soon!

With a growing congregation, the First Baptist Church of Indian Rocks wanted a 3,000-seat sanctuary with major audio and video performance enhancements.

In order to tackle the limited site access and extensive underground utilities, coordination with multiple trades for the casting layout of the Tilt-Up panels was necessary. Careful planning was also needed to place the deadmen without interfering with the casting and lifting of the panels.

Constructed during a particularly active hurricane season, three hurricanes passed through the area after the panels were placed and braced, waiting for the structural steel to be installed.

The exterior Tilt-Up walls used 23,000 feet of horizontal reveals and numerous recesses to create the look the owners desired. After the walls were erected and the outer portion of the building was complete, the exterior was painted with accenting neutral colors to give the church a dramatic appearance.

The back of the sanctuary is on a segmented radius, which gives the illusion of a curvilinear building.

The most striking feature of the facility is the stainless-steel cross that is attached to two panels and stands 80 feet above the floor.

About the TCA

Founded in 1986, the Tilt-Up Concrete Association (TCA) strives to improve the quality and acceptance of site-cast Tilt-Up construction, a method in which concrete wall panels are cast on-site and tilted into place. Tilt-Up construction is one of the fastest growing industries in the United States, combining the advantages of reasonable cost with low maintenance, durability, speed of construction and minimal capital investment. At least 10,000 buildings, enclosing more than 650 million square feet, are constructed each year using this construction method.

Follow Us

We use LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube to disseminate information about the Tilt-Up industry, gain new members and inform developers, owners and architects about the benefits of using Tilt-Up.